Level crossing Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
The term level crossing (American English: grade crossing) is a crossing on one level, or "at grade" - without recourse to a bridge or tunnel - used to describe the crossing of a railway line by a road
It also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way crosses a road; the term "metro" usually means by definition that there are no level crossings.
On many level crossings where a busy road crosses a railway, automatic gates or barriers are lowered when a train approaches, to prevent a collision. In some countries, on less important roads and railway lines level crossings are often "open" without gates to protect them, but these often have some kind of warning lights to warn of approaching trains. Unguarded crossings represent a serious safety issue. Railways in the US are adding reflectors to the side of each train car to help prevent accidents at level crossings. In some countries, such as Ireland, instead of an open crossing there may be manually operated gates, which the motorist must open and close. These too have significant risks, as they are unsafe to use without possessing a knowledge of the train timetable.
The consensus in contemporary railway design is to avoid the use of level crossings. The director of rail safety at the UK Railway Inspectorate commented in 2004 that "the use of level crossings contributes the greatest potential for catastrophic risk on the railways." 18 people were killed in the UK on level crossings in the 2003/4 period. Bridges and tunnels are favoured instead of level crossings, and there is a commitment on the part of UK rail authorities not to build new level crossings, and to diminish from 8,000 the number of existing level crossings.
In the United States, and in countries that take their railroad practice from US practice, a train must have a bell that sounds continually until the train is completely past the crossing, and the whistle or horn must be sounded as the train approaches the crossing. Some American cities, citing noise pollution abatement, pass laws prohibiting the sounding of bells and whistles, but their ability to enforce such rules is debatable. In December of 2003, The US Federal Railroad Administration published regulations that would create areas where train horns could be silenced, given that certain safety measures were put in place. More information can be found at the FRA website at and following the page link under 'Train horn rule.' The regulations are scheduled to go into effect in December of 2004.
Third rail electric systems may also have level crossings: there is a gap in the third rail over the level crossing, but in spite of that the power supply is not interrupted since trains have current collectors at each of their ends.
At railway stations a pedestrian level crossing is sometimes provided to allow passengers to reach other platforms in the absence of an underpass or bridge.
In Melbourne, Australia, there exist several level crossings where the train tracks cross tram tracks on the road. These crossings require trains to travel very slowly to avoid tangling the overhead cables.
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